Not *Quite* Off The Face Of The Earth...

Just in Hawaii. With a new laptop. So I'm slowly but surely getting caught up online. I'm on "island time" so no hurries, no worries.

Huge contrast to last week. Last week was nuts right up until I got on the plane (alone, with two kids) on Wednesday. As in, I thought I was going to go...nuts.

My laptop was literally falling apart, so finally bought a new one. And you all know the whole rigamarole you must go through every time you get a new computer. (eye roll)

Also got my house fixed up, cleaned, staged, and ready to list. Went on the market Thursday and if it's Sunday (yep, guess it is!), my agent had an open house today. I could write several posts about everything I had to do, but I'll leave it to your imagination. If you've sold a house, you know. If you haven't, you wouldn't get it anyway!  ;)

Had to not only pack and close up the house while we were gone for over a week, but also leave it perfect for any showings. Yeah. Did I mention I have two kids?

Speaking of which, lost half a day (and one I couldn't afford--the day before our departure) to my first battle with the dreaded bane of childhood...lice. Ugh. Let's just leave it at that.

But the instant I was on the plane...ahhh. And gotta love nonstop flights.

Aloha from Paradise!!

What a Random Week

Most of you know I've been househunting. For close to a year. Time to take it up a notch: today we listed our house for sale. We'd been trying to find a house to buy without having to sell ours, but it only took a year (LOL) and a couple recent "houses that got away" to realize we'd be settling at that price point. So...upping the ante.
Photographer came out to shoot the house today, so I was staging and cleaning and touching up, etc. Driveway full of barkdust is finally all distributed where it needs to go. New area rugs. Reupholstered the dining room chairs. Dumpster is full. The backyard is like a park. House looks damn good, actually. Why are we moving again????

I'll post the link when it hits RMLS, just in case anyone wants a great house in Oregon...or just wants to see my lack of decorating style, lol.

*****

Signed my third contract THIS WEEK last night. Go for months without anything, and then boom (Through The Red Door on Tues), boom (Neighbors By Day, Naughty By Night on Thurs), boom (One Wild Wish on Sat)! Landed in my inbox at an ungodly hour...and of course I was still up. This one was for the story I just finished on St Paddy's Day. Here's the blurb (admittedly rough--PM me if you want to take a swipe at it, lol!):

For Rory, his band One Wish landing a well-paid private gig at a wild, remote mountain lodge is a wish come true. He needs the money badly enough to go along with all the strange clauses in their contract with the mysterious group. The one that specifies everyone must be in committed relationships? Hell, he can just fake it for a week with his friend-with-benefits and bandmate, Benny.
Jared has his hands full trying to manage their clan's biggest, most important gathering of the year. This year's solstice ceremony is doubly important, with his nephew and heir, Curtis, coming of age and into his powers. Giving in to Curtis' request to book the band was probably a huge mistake, but with ironclad rules in place, Jared should be able to keep the youngsters under control. Or so he thinks, until he meets Rory. Suddenly, he's fighting for his own control.
When Rory's past catches up with him, it threatens to expose Jared's biggest secret...his clan's very existence. The good news? Rory's nemesis has finally given up on him. The bad news? He's taken Curtis...
 
One Wild Wish will be out at Dreamspinner Press in June.
 
*****
 
As if there isn't enough going on...packed for Hawaii today too. DH is leaving tomorrow morning, and we're joining him on Wednesday. Decided to send all our stuff over with him (vacation's worth of stuff for four crammed into one ginormous suitcase--sorry I am NOT paying for a checked bag), since I'll be wrangling the kids and car seats through long-term parking and the airport by myself on the way down.
 
*****
 
Sheesh, 3:30. Bath and bedtime... 'night.

Contract News and St Paddy's

Yes, I've been neglecting you, but hope you'll forgive me when I tell you that I've been working on completing several new stories, one of which I just finished and submitted today!  Let the inbox stalking commence!

First off, though, official paperwork is done on Through The Red Door. Remember my angel and demon story I wrote around Thanksgiving? Kyrian and Seth's story will be out on June 21st.

Just a demon's luck. Seth finally finds the perfect house...and it comes with an angel.

The last thing that demon Seth expects to come across while househunting is an injured angel...especially one who has no idea he's anything but human. Every instinct in him wants to stay far away, but Kyrian is being targeted by another demon, and Seth reluctantly find himself playing guardian to the irresistible male.

Kyrian has no idea what is 'haunting' his house, but after he breaks his ankle being shoved off the deck, he's had enough. Strong, handsome Seth is a godsend, making him feel safe and secure. But he alludes to secrets that will test everything Kyrian believes...and turns the tables on just who needs protecting.

 

I will also have a short story in the menage anthology from Dreamspinner in May. Neighbors By Day, Naughty By Night is a m/m/m menage and features sleepwalking.

Happy St. Paddy's day to you all! I'm wearing green and, yes, there will be corned beef and beer for dinner. How are the rest of you celebrating the greenest day of the year??